Tom Hiddleston announced as voice of villainous Lord Nooth in Nick Park’s new prehistoric comedy adventure EARLY MAN

AARDMAN and STUDIOCANAL today announce that Tom Hiddleston has joined the cast of Nick Park’s highly anticipated new prehistoric comedy adventure, EARLY MAN. Tom joins the cast voicing the ridiculously pompous Lord Nooth, governor of the Bronze Age town – a money- loving tyrant and rival to the film’s Stone Age hero, Dug (Eddie Redmayne).

Nick Park said of the casting “Tom is a wonderful actor and it’s so thrilling to see him bring our comic villain to life with his amazing talent, energy and enthusiasm. It is a great privilege to work with Tom and I’m so excited to see his character Lord Nooth emerge on screen!”

Tom added “I’ve been a fan of Nick Park and Aardman for as long as I can remember, and am incredibly honoured to be working with Nick and the team on this adventure. I’m thrilled to be able to breathe some semblance of life into this hysterical villain and to work with Eddie for the first time. EARLY MAN made me laugh out loud when I read it. Lord Nooth is larger than life in every respect. I can’t wait for audiences to meet him”.

Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures and woolly mammoths roamed the earth, EARLY MAN tells the story of how plucky caveman Dug, along with sidekick Hognob unites his tribe against the mighty Bronze Age in a battle to beat them at their own game. It also marks Nick Park’s first feature film since Academy Award® winning WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT. EARLY MAN unleashes an unforgettable cast of hilarious new characters.

Cameras are rolling in Bristol with Eddie Redmayne announced as the voice of Dug, and additional casting news expected.

EARLY MAN continues the production partnership with AARDMAN and STUDIOCANAL following the success of SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE directed by Mark Burton and Richard Starzak, which grossed $106 million worldwide. STUDIOCANAL is co-financing and will distribute in its own territories, the UK, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, selling worldwide.

The BFI (British Film Institute) is supporting the development and production of EARLY MAN with National Lottery funding.

For more information on EARLY MAN visit the Official Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

EARLY MAN HITS UK CINEMAS ON JANUARY 26 2018

About STUDIOCANAL
STUDIOCANAL is Europe’s leader in production, right acquisition, distribution and international sales of feature films and TV series. STUDIOCANAL operates directly in all three major European markets, France, the United Kingdom and Germany, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. STUDIOCANAL has fully-financed recent box office hits like Paddington, Shaun the Sheep and Non-Stop. Upcoming films backed by STUDIOCANAL include The Commuter featuring Liam Neeson, and Nick Park's stop-motion movie Early Man, with Aardman Studios.
STUDIOCANAL is actively developing and distributing high-end TV series through its network of award-winning production companies including Tandem Productions in Germany (Crossing Lines, Spotless), the UK’s RED Production Company (Happy Valley) and BAMBÚ PRODUCCIONES (Grand Hotel, Velvet). Additionally, STUDIOCANAL owns one of the most important film libraries in the world, with more than 5,000 international titles.
STUDIOCANAL’s parent company, CANAL+ Group, is fully-owned by Vivendi, a global media and content production and distribution group.

About Aardman
Aardman, based in Bristol (UK) co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, series, advertising and digital entertainment for both the domestic and international market. Their multi-award winning productions are novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm that reflects the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the very special people who make up the Aardman team. The studio’s work is often imitated and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning and amusing independent and commercial productions. Nick Park is a director of Aardman and is credited with the creation of Wallace & Gromit and Creature Comforts. He is the winner of four Academy Awards® and five BAFTA Awards www.aardman.com